Chained to the Devil’s Daughter (Mating the Elements #1)

15

Ash’ren

T he rest of that evening, I spent my time anywhere other than the so-called modest suite until night had fallen.

I paced the room now, counting each step. Unlike the last room I’d called prison, this one was large enough to lose myself in the numbers. When thoughts overtook the numbers, the walls seemed to close. I dropped to the floor and tortured my muscles with three hundred fifty-eight push-ups until my mind found me there too. This furnished room twenty lengths greater than my former cell, was every bit as cold and lonely.

Jaw clenched so hard I might shatter my teeth, I walked to the stone wall between my room and Searra’s. I placed a hand flat on the wall and leaned my forehead on the rough stone. No reason to be so lost, for my heart slept only one wall away.

Long after I’d sunken to my knees and flipped to lean against the wall, her window creaked open. An invitation.

On the outer wall, I found footholds in the stone and scaled my way toward hers. Using pure muscle memory, I wiggled the stubborn window up and snuck inside. The moment I made it through the frame she was there, arms around my waist, head tucked to her spot on my pec. Ambrosial hair oil perfumed my nostrils. Suddenly I could breathe again, full, invigorating breaths, not like the shallow mimics I was gulping down before.

“Ash,” she breathed.

“I’m here.”

All the almost-touches from the day coalesced into a tangle of limbs. With stumbling feet, I maneuvered us to the bed and lifted her onto my lap. Her touch set me aflame and cooled my raging fires at the same time. I nuzzled into her neck and nipped the skin below her ear, not close enough, needing to bury myself in her natural rosy scent, to live inside it like a second skin. To slam home, where I fucking belonged.

“Arrrgh,” I groaned, locking her in place when she wriggled her peachy ass on my lap. Her curves filled my arms so well, and I knew her body would hug me like a glove if it allowed me inside.

Our hands never ceased roaming, squeezing, caressing, as she curled into that perfect spot. Her legs circled my waist, head tipped up against my shoulder. She watched me with those blue irises, her inner light shimmering through like sunshine on broken glass.

A slow grin began to part her beautiful face, bidding my cock to rise.

“If you’ve ever, I’ve never. . .” She trailed off, her gaze flicking to the ceiling. “Hmm.”

We’d invented the game to dare each other into stupid things. Like most things between us, it changed over time. Sometimes the silly game led to arguments, but more often, I bent the rules in my favor. Forcing her to touch me. A chaste kiss. A spine-shivering dance upon my lap. A glimpse beneath the dresses and nightgowns I’d never seen her free of. My already hard cock snapped to attention so quickly that I briefly worried it might break.

“If you’ve ever felt the urge to push Fuegis into the Lavalet Depths, then. . .”

My lip curled. I dug my nails into her waist until she squealed, the squirm it earned the only thing to keep my cock from going flaccid. “If you haven’t, then you’ve never heard the man speak. Come on, princess, you can do better.”

“Fine, then. You go first.” She perked up on my lap, a petite braid falling loose from the ribbon she’d used to tie it at the crown of her head.

Whoever went first stated something, and if the other player had ever done it, they had to do whatever dare was cooked up. Honestly, the princess had never been great at this game. I think she only kept it alive because she liked my promiscuous dares. Tugging the ribbon loose, I untangled one and then another, running my fingers through her chocolate hair. Tension eased in her shoulders.

“If you’ve ever spent the night in a brothel, then. . .”

She barked a hushed laugh. I raised my brow in mock suspicion, playing the jealous lover. I didn’t necessarily care, it was more that I yearned to know every bit of the woman she’d become in my absence. She bit her lip, the action stealing my attention, but I tugged the strands mid-braid.

“You’re still on that, hmm?” she played coy now, but another tug on her hair and I was nipping at her ear, my other hand grazing the voluptuous swell of her breast. “Fine, well, I haven’t.” She paused a beat, deciding my fate. “Then you’ve never recited Soots Sitting Seaside while sucking your thumb.”

I scowled, detangling from her hair. I leaned back on one hand, the other lifting shamefully to my mouth. Searra clapped with glee, her ass wriggling on my lap the only thing that redeemed this childishness.

“Thoots thitting thee-thide, theven en ah row. Theven thooths thweeeping—”

“ Six soots sweeping.”

“Thix thooths thweeping thoft-ly—”

“Sleepily.”

“ Thleep —okay, enough.” I shook my head, slammed her chest flush against mine, and tried to silence the laughter as it left her mouth, but it poured out the edges of our kiss. “Let’s move on.”

“That is not how this works, Ath- ren!” I growled through my smile and grabbed handfuls of her ass, squeezing, letting my claws rip into the soft fabric of her thin nightgown. “Fine! If you’ve ever spent the night in a brothel, then . . .”

Vines of darkness weaved in my chest. Though there was no way she’d anticipated this line of questioning, insecurity danced behind her words. I could say the bland truth and ask my penance. Whatever she would have me do this time would be much worse than a nursery rhyme.

“Never in the way you mean.” I decided to break the rules instead of her heart, even if it would be for only a moment. A bitter laugh escaped me as regret laced my bloodstream like a vile drug. “A younger me would be glad you heard the rumors.”

“You wanted to hurt me like I hurt you.”

“ Devil hurt us .” I tilted her chin to stare past her guilt-ridden eyes straight into her soul. “You did nothing wrong.”

“I let him send you away.”

“Forgetting for a moment that he’s a centuries-old demon warped with power madness, who’s to say we’d be here right now if you’d miraculously stopped him?” I grasped her waist and gave a gentle tug. “Would you have hated me like I thought I wanted you to? Taken a mate? Would you have a rebellion for me to crash?”

“I could never hate you.” A tear glistened on her cheek and I instinctively licked it, salt bursting on my tongue. “Never, Ash.”

“Don’t know, glow worm. I can be rather persuasive.” I forced her hips to roll over mine and burrowed into the crook of her neck, breathing in her sweet scent like oxygen. “You have no idea how much I missed you.”

“Oh, really?” she scoffed, a quiver still in her voice. I kissed the sultry column of her neck to dissuade her, but her glower never faltered. It was adorable, like a kitten and a rainbow fucked and her anger was their offspring. “Rings, Ash, it physically hurts to miss you so much.”

“I know,” I said gently, nipping her chin.

She swatted me away and squirmed on my lap, glowering harder. No doubt I could wipe that look off her face. Hands gripping the gentle roll of her perfect birthing hips, I crushed her hot sex against my cock. Her eyes lolled, then snapped back into place with a dim glare. A feral grin strained my cheeks.

“You forker,” she mumbled. Even her stern frown couldn’t hide that I’d won this round.

“That’s royal fucker, miss, or have you forgotten?”

Tugging her nightgown out from between us, I traced the edges of her spine, salivating when her breasts heaved towards me. Without thinking, I buried my face between them, the gauzy fabric ticklish as a spider’s silk.

“I-I believe your services are needed.”

“I’ll not slack on my duties.”

“Let me see you,” she whined. “I promise to look and not touch.”

“Woman, you may do whatever you wish with me. Look. Touch. It all belongs to you.”

Grateful not to be the only one struggling with the whole take-it-slow stuff, I raised my arms to allow her to peel my shirt off, then stood, taking her with me. She yelped and I bit her bottom lip to remind her to be fucking quiet. One ass cheek filling both my palms, I tilted my hips to give her access to my trousers, which fell to the ground shortly after.

I collapsed back on the bed, my hands in fists at my sides as she explored my body with delicate fingertips.

“Ash,” she whispered like I was her god, and she was praying for the first time in ages. Her nightgown had ridden up and slick heat rubbed through her lace undies, teasing my knot.

“You have no idea how good that feels, Firefly. Your cunt’s desire for me all over my knot. How mad are you trying to make me?”

“Only as mad as I am,” she retorted, swirling her hips again, coating my enflamed knot with sweet slick heat.

“Impossible. You’re madder than a bog troll. I’m the sane one between us.”

She tried to respond but I made sure it died in her throat with a swift pinch of her nipples, maybe a little too swift by her gasp. Gripping her full hips, I manhandled her into spreading her honey along the base of my shaft and swell of my knot.

“Fucking flames, Firefly.”

“Ash.” Her voice was barely a rasp. “I need you.”

“Are you sure?” I paused, willing my heavy lids to pry open. My gaze shot to the vanity across the room, where I knew plenty of fun toys were hidden. “There are other ways. We agreed—ahhh!”

Her hand closed around my knot, and she squeezed like she was checking a lavaberry for ripeness. I could’ve ejaculated right then and there from sheer surprise and ruined all our fun.